The benefits of writing with a co-author

Summary

MarTech Podcast ™ Episode Summary

Title: The Benefits of Writing with a Co-Author
Release Date: May 15, 2025
Host: Benjamin Shapiro
Guest: Natalie Kelly, CMO of Zappi and co-author of Brand Global, Adapt Local

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Introduction to Co-Authoring

In this episode, Benjamin Shapiro welcomes Natalie Kelly, the Chief Marketing Officer of Zappi and co-author of the book Brand Global, Adapt Local. The discussion centers around Natalie’s first experience co-authoring a book and the dynamics of collaborating with another writer.

The Joy of Collaborative Writing

Natalie shares her enthusiasm for co-authoring, highlighting the positive experience of working with Katherine, the lead author. She states:

“Working with Katherine has been a delight. She's the lead author on this book. She wrote the majority of it.”
[01:40]

Natalie explains that while Katherine handled most of the writing, she contributed specific chapters focused on B2B and technology, as well as assisted with the book’s front matter, back matter, and editing.

Blending Distinct Writing Styles

A significant part of the conversation delves into the challenges and rewards of merging different writing styles to maintain consistency throughout the book. Natalie remarks on their differing styles:

“Katherine has a beautiful writing style that is very different from mine… She's very descriptive with her language.”
[01:55]

Benjamin probes further into how they achieved a unified voice despite these differences. Natalie responds by detailing her efforts to adapt her writing to complement Katherine’s style:

“I tried to adapt as much as I could because the majority of the book was Katherine's concepts… I did try to make mine more kind of first person narrative.”
[02:42]

She emphasizes the importance of flexibility, noting her background in writing for diverse outlets, which equipped her to blend seamlessly with Katherine’s approach.

Enhancing Personal Writing Through Collaboration

Natalie candidly discusses how co-authoring pushed her beyond her comfort zone:

“It was challenging for me because I was like I have to write about B2B and websites and globalization, technology. How am I going to make that sexy and fun?”
[02:35]

Through collaboration, she discovered new facets of her writing abilities, leading to personal growth and a more engaging narrative style.

Maintaining Consistency and Quality

Benjamin acknowledges Natalie’s self-critique and challenges her perspective, fostering a positive outlook on their collaborative work:

“I wouldn't call your writing style boring in any sense of the word, but I am curious to hear about meshing those two tones.”
[02:50]

Natalie appreciates the feedback and reflects on the success of their partnership in producing a cohesive and compelling book.

Conclusion and Takeaways

The episode wraps up with Benjamin thanking Natalie for her insights. Natalie’s experience underscores the benefits of co-authoring, including:

• Diverse Perspectives: Combining different expertise areas (B2B and B2C) enriches the content.
• Enhanced Creativity: Merging distinct writing styles leads to a more dynamic and engaging narrative.
• Personal Growth: Collaborating with another writer challenges individuals to expand their skills and adapt to new approaches.

Natalie’s journey exemplifies how co-authoring can elevate the quality of a project, making it more comprehensive and appealing to a broader audience.

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Further Information:
To connect with Natalie Kelly, visit her LinkedIn profile or explore Zappi’s website at zappi.io. For more episodes and insights, subscribe to the MarTech Podcast ™ on your preferred podcast platform or visit martechpod.com.

Transcript

[Benjamin Shapiro]

The Martech Podcast is a proud member of the I Hear Everything Podcast Network. Looking to launch or scale your podcast, I Hear Everything delivers podcast production, growth and monetization solutions that transform your words into profit. Ready to give your brand a voice? Then visit iheareverything.com.

[Unknown Speaker]

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[Benjamin Shapiro]

Welcome to the Martech Podcast, a member of the I Hear Everything Podcast Network. In this podcast you'll hear the stories of world class marketers that you technology to drive business results and achieve career success. Here's the host of the Martech Podcast, Benjamin Shapiro.

I'm Benjamin Shapiro and joining me today is Natalie Kelly, the CMO of Zappi and the co author of Brand Global, Adapt Local and Today Natalie is going to explain how marketers can effectively encode their brand voice using AI tools. You've written your fourth book, but this is the first one you've ever written with a co author. Tell me about how writing with a co author is different than a solo project.

[Natalie Kelly]

I have to say it's so much fun to work with a co author. Working with Katherine has been a delight. She's the lead author on this book. She wrote the majority of it. I contributed the chapters on B2B and tech and help with the front matter, back matter, editing, et cetera. We definitely collaborated throughout the process, but it's just so much fun. And I also have to say, speaking of brand voice, writing style, other stuff we've been talking about. Katherine has a beautiful writing style that is very different from mine and her style really sings off the page. She's very descriptive with her language. She could be a fiction writer. I'm boring business writer. Her writing is actually it pops and it's vivid and it's fun. She's a B2C marketer, so she's got that connection to the consumer that it just shines in her writing. So I love it. In fact, it was challenging for me because I was like I have to write about B2B and websites and globalization, technology. How am I going to make that sexy and fun? So it was fun to write this with her because it really helped me up level in different ways. That I hadn't experienced as a writer before.

[Benjamin Shapiro]

I wouldn't call your writing style boring in any sense of the word, but I am curious to hear about meshing those two tones. The book has to be consistent and sound like it's written by the same voice throughout. You have two differentiating tones and how do you blend the two?

[Natalie Kelly]

I tried to adapt as much as I could because the majority of the book was Catherine's concepts. You know, her ideas and came mostly from her. So when you're in that position, it's kind of like, okay, I'm not going to just introduce my different writing style. I'm going to try to flex more toward her. So I did try to make mine more kind of first person narrative. She leaned into a lot of her experiences in Japan and France. I tried to lean more into my personal first person anecdotes, launching the HubSpot office in Japan, things like that. That would be compelling but fitting and make the voice more similar to her writing style. Fortunately, because I write for a lot of different outlets, I've had to adapt my style to each of those because editors have their preferences. I'm familiar with how to do that, but I did definitely flex in that direction and I think it's a better book because it's not my boring writing.

[Benjamin Shapiro]

You're too critical. All right, that wraps up this episode of the MarTech podcast. Thanks to Natalie Kelly, the CMO of Zappy and the author of Brand Global Adapt Local. If you'd like to contact Natalie, you can find a link to her LinkedIn profile in our show notes or on martechpod.com or you can visit her company's website, which is Zappi IO. If you haven't subscribed yet and you want a daily stream of marketing and technology knowledge in your podcast feed, hit the subscribe button in your podcast app or find us on YouTube and we'll be back in your feed next week. Alright, that's it for today, but until next time, my advice is to just focus on keeping your customers happy. Foreign.

Thanks for listening to the Martech podcast and I hear everything. Production Looking to launch or scale a podcast like this one for your brand? Then visit iheareverything.com.